GUEST POST: The Key to Staying Locked in on Your Priorities

It’s time to get serious about your priorities.

Shola’s Note:Hey Solutionists! In my effort to introduce you to some amazing people who are working hard to make this world a more positive place, I have a treat for you! On this month’s Solutionist Spotlight, I have the honor of presenting creative writer, marketing specialist, and positivity enthusiast, Mary Kleim. So, without further ado, here’s Mary!

Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” – Zig Ziglar

There’s a lot of wisdom when you scratch the surface of that quote. Why aren’t you doing the things you know you’re supposed to be doing? What prevents you from meditating at least half an hour a day? Why aren’t you finishing the online course you started? Why aren’t you reading more books?

Always the same answer – “There’s not enough time.”

But, there is! Nicola Tesla and Albert Einstein had the same 24 hours a day you have.

The yogis you admire on Instagram? Same thing. They seem to have their lives perfect. They have time for exercise, work, family, healthy cooking, and even social media.

How do they do it? The answer is: focus. They have found their center and know how to focus on the things that are important.

Being aware of the priorities has to be one of the most important traits of mental toughness. How do you achieve that quality? Let’s see.

First Things First: Determining the Priorities

Are you there yet? As you probably noticed, a simple decision doesn’t do it. Before you can get to that point of determination, you have an important question to answer:

What priorities do you have?

Let’s break that question into few, more focused ones:

How do you see yourself five years from today?

Close your eyes and project yourself in the future. What’s your perception of a good life in that point? Be realistic and imagine things you can achieve. This mental trick makes you focus on things you can do for a better future.

You can extract some priorities from there. Do you see yourself as a parent? Do you want to buy your own home? Start a business, maybe? Whatever you see yourself doing, write it down.

Find your true purpose. That will help you set the focus on important things in daily life.

Where will this action lead?

When you have a busy schedule, it’s easy to lose track of priorities. Everything seems important. The boss may expect a report ASAP, but they also want you to take care of daily errands.

In this situation, it’s important to think about the results of every action. Everything you do has consequences. Take a look at that list. Imagine where each task would lead and why it’s important.

This tactic will help you set the priorities. Funny enough, you’ll realize that some of those things are not as important as you though they were.

Practical Tips: How to Focus on Priorities

Once you know what your priorities are, it’s time to boost your willpower. Of course, you can’t just rely on your will. Wanting to be focused is not enough. You need a push. Here’s how:

Write down the goals

Be careful: we’re not talking about a simple list of daily tasks. We’re talking about a real schedule that helps you achieve priority goals.

Write down the long-term priorities and break them down into monthly achievements.

For example, let’s say you want to achieve enlightenment. That’s a HUGE goal, but this is just an example, and… why not? You’ll break down that goal into monthly achievements – half an hour of meditation, which you’ll increase to a whole hour in two months. You’ll break down that goal into your daily schedule, and you’ll notice you have space for all other tasks you need to cover.

The schedule will keep you focused.

If something is not a priority, find a way around it

Let’s say a student has an exam next week, but they also have a huge research paper to write. There’s no time for both priorities and every other task in between. In this case, it’s important to find any solution, so the student will probably hire a writing service to get help with the assignment and focus on studying.

If you realize you can’t do something that’s not a priority but is still important, ask for help. If necessary, ask for an extension of the deadline.

Say NO to the distractions

You feel like you’re wasting your days without getting any long-term benefits from your actions?

How much time do you spend looking at a screen? How much of that time is useless scrolling through Twitter and pinning images you’ll never look at again?

The distractions are disturbing your focus, so you have to become aware of them. Stay in your zone and don’t allow the phone, social media, and other distractions to get to you when you’re committed to really important things.

Save up to one hour per day for those distractions, so you’ll call friends and see what they are sharing on social media.

Over to You

Are you ready to make this important change in your life? Undisturbed focus is a superpower. You can have it if you try.

About Mary

Mary Kleim is a creative writer and marketing specialist. She is working on several projects dedicated to education and self-growth.

Comments

I love to prioritize. I’ve worked at the same agency for 26 years. One thing I have learned over the years is the need to multi-task as well. I t can be done it just takes determination, will power and setting those priorities. Burn out is not a pretty picture and if you do not learn to do what Mary has mentioned you will feel stressed and we all know that is no fun to deal with either. Have a blessed day!

Meet Shola

Hi, my name is Shola and I'm the founder of The Positivity Solution. I'm a corporate trainer, incurable optimist, and writer who is committed to changing the world by helping as many people as possible to live and work more positively. Click on the "About" link on the main menu bar to get the full scoop on my story.

Become part of The Solution!

Enter your name and email below to get FREE articles sent to your inbox to help you work and live with more positivity.

Also, you'll get my free guide: The Definitive Guide for Dealing with Extremely Difficult People, as a gift for signing up!

No spam, ever. Because we all know that there's nothing positive about spam (including the edible kind).